Art teacher and creator of the blog Teach Kids Art, provides a brilliant craft that combines two distinct elements; living and nonliving. This project is targeted toward elementary students, giving them an opportunity to hone their fine motor skills, practice following directions, learn about responsibility, and discover how things grow. Supplies You'll Need - Chenille stems in gold or brown (six per student) - Small recycled plastic container - Grass seed - Florist foam

In preparation: Use a serrated knife to cut the florist foam to fit the size of your plastic containers. It is important that the pieces fit snugly to prevent them from falling out. Carefully fill each container with water, stopping just before it reaches the surface of the foam.

With your students: Demonstrate for your students how to group the pipe cleaners into branches and twist to create a tree. You'll find great examples along with pictures at Teach Kids Art. Embellish the tree with swirls and add a simple bird if you desire. Instruct your students to carefully press the tree trunk into the foam and sprinkle with grass seed. Make sure these art projects are set in a sunny place and charge your students with watering their creations as needed. They'll love checking on the progress of their living art!

TeachKidsArt: Gustav Klimt 3D Trees

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